Radio

News about Radio, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 22, 2015

David Rees Letter of Recommendation column extols interviewing skills and trove of music knowledge of Canadian radio host Nardwuar the Human Serviette, born John Ruskin. MORE

Mar. 17, 2015

Nine broadcasters request waiver from Federal Communications Commission on longstanding requirement that stations say on air when sponsor or promoter has paid for song or other programming; radio companies want to move disclosures online. MORE

Feb. 15, 2015

Jim Soileau and Mark Layne are hosts of KVPI radio talk show La Tasse de Cafe, one of the last vestiges of French-language talk programming on air in Louisiana; many believe Louisiana French, or Cajun, to be an endangered iteration of the French language, and show is a conscious effort to sustain it. MORE

Feb. 14, 2015

New York's Hot 97 radio show has lost some of its most recognizable DJs, raising questions about its status as one of nation's most venerable rap outlets; interviews with departed DJs and hosts, some of whom witnessed birth and rise of hip-hop during their time at station, reveal abiding concern that station has succumbed to the homogenization of urban radio. MORE

Feb. 1, 2015

Chuck Klosterman The Ethicist column answers questions about offering letters of reference to someone who is convicted felon and listening to public radio without donating money. MORE

Jan. 26, 2015

Ask the Governor, colorful radio show hosted on WKXW-FM by New Jersey Gov Chris Christie, presents an unfiltered image of the 2016 presidential hopeful; Christie uses show to spar openly with callers, striking openhearted if pugnacious tone that his supporters say is absent among buttoned-down rivals for Republican nomination. MORE

Jan. 13, 2015

Seton Hall, like more and more college basketball programs, is finding it more difficult to find radio station to carry its games; stations are getting more revenue from news and talk-radio programs rather than sports. MORE

Dec. 22, 2014

Hip-hop DJ Mister Cee, who resigned from his post at radio station Hot 97 in November after 21 years there, has found new gig at Radio 103.9 (WNBM-FM), which targets older, more female audience; Mister Cee says his resignation was prompted by station's changing focus, as well as his own, and is not related to disclosures that he solicited transgender prostitutes. MORE

Dec. 21, 2014

Dana Jennings recounts nostalgic days of primitive radio and television reception during his 1960s childhood, when he encountered static and ghost images and even had to wait for his TV to warm up. MORE

Dec. 16, 2014

Classic hip-hop has become radio's most popular new format, as stations focus on nostalgia of hip-hop generation; at least nine varieties of vintage music have launched recently, pleasing listeners and precipitating old fashioned format turf war in national radio market. MORE

Dec. 2, 2014

Tom Scharpling, who hosted radio program The Best Show on WFMU for 13 years, prepares to revive program as podcast. MORE

Nov. 27, 2014

Jian Ghomeshi, former host of Canadian Broadcasting Corp radio program Q, is released on $89,000 bail after being charged by Toronto police with four counts of sexual assault and one count of choking; had been fired from his job and arrested after several women came forward with accounts of sexual attacks. MORE

Nov. 24, 2014

David Carr The Media Equation column notes that success of Sarah Koenig podcast Serial points to increasing popularity of medium, which has been aided by advent of ever more sophisticated smartphones; observes that podcasts are having a similar impact on radio, the traditional provider of serious audio program, to that which Netflix has had on television. MORE

Nov. 22, 2014

Questions about rampant off-field scandals for Florida State football team are conspicuously absent during coach Jimbo Fisher's weekly radio call-in show. MORE

Nov. 17, 2014

Kickstarter campaign by public media company PRX raises $620,412 to fund its podcast network Radiotopia. MORE

Nov. 4, 2014

Tom Magliozzi, who with his younger brother, Ray, hosted NPR's popular Car Talk, dies at age 77. MORE

Oct. 31, 2014

Nearly 500 radio stations around country are expected to switch to all-holiday music format by December, in one of medium's most enduring and profitable gimmicks; number of stations embracing format has nearly doubled in past decade, and competition between broadcasters is leading stations to make switch earlier and earlier in year. MORE

Oct. 28, 2014

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation fires popular daily radio show host Jian Ghomeshi over alleged sex scandal; he contends sexual acts with three women were consensual and is suing company, claiming breach of confidence. MORE

Oct. 3, 2014

CBS announces deal under which it will trade 14 of its radio stations in exchange for five from the Beasley Broadcast Group. MORE

Sep. 17, 2014

Clear Channel Communications renames itself iHeartMedia; new identity is nod to importance that iHeartRadio franchise has for company, and rebranding is part of effort to show radio giant is ready for digital age and its many challenges. MORE

Sep. 15, 2014

National Public Radio is widely expanding its live stage shows, announcing slate of nearly two dozen events planned nationwide; events, supported by the Kresge Foundation and corporate sponsors, are intended to shore up NPR's finances. MORE

Aug. 16, 2014

Tel Aviv-based radio program Israel Story, created by Jerusalem native Mishy Harman, is beginning its second season in Israel, and an English version of the show is set to premiere online; Harman modeled program after This American Life, hour-long public radio show created by Ira Glass and known for its slice-of-life stories and investigative features. MORE

Jul. 7, 2014

Sirius XM fires radio shock jock Anthony Cumia from Opie & Anthony show after Cumia posts what company calls racially charged and hate-filled remarks on his Twitter feed. MORE

Jul. 6, 2014

Influential public radio show This American Life is leaving its distributor of 17 years, Public Radio International, to go independent; show's host, Ira Glass, will now be responsible for show's marketing, distribution and financing, along with his other projects; experiment is being closely watched by public radio insiders. MORE

Jun. 29, 2014

Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, with more than 800 radio stations across the United States, says its free iHeartRadio app has enabled it to reach 50 million registered online listeners, 54 percent year-to-year increase; app works on smartphones and growing list of connected cars. MORE

Jun. 20, 2014

Angie Martinez, one of Hot 97's most popular DJs, is leaving the New York hip-hop radio station after nearly 20 years for rival Power 105.1. MORE

Jun. 16, 2014

Casey Kasem, disc jockey who created and hosted one of radio's most popular syndicated pop music shows, American Top 40, dies at age 82. MORE

Jun. 16, 2014

Jon Pareles submits that radio host Casey Kasem, who died on June 15, brought new sense of inclusiveness to popular top 40 format, taking pains to encompass all genres and areas of America and speaking in upbeat, neutral tone designed not to alienate listeners; holds that homogeneity show fostered has its drawbacks. MORE

Jun. 9, 2014

Alexis Soloski reviews The Radio Drama Episode, live dramatic staging of stories broadcast on public-radio show This American Life, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music; show is hosted by Ira Glass. MORE

Jun. 2, 2014

KWEM radio station in West Memphis, Ark, which ignited careers of musical greats such as B B King, Jerry Lee Lewis and Howlin' Wolf before shutting down in 1960, is being revived by Mid-South Community College; community is hoping efforts to resurrect station will help lift local economy. MORE

Jun. 1, 2014

Dana Jennings celebrates return of baseball season; notes that classic sport is perfect for listening to on radio or lazily watching on television and napping to, especially on drowsy Sunday afternoons. MORE

May. 29, 2014

Popular weekly public radio program This American Life notifies stations that it will distribute the show itself beginning in July when its distribution contract with Public Radio International ends. MORE

May. 21, 2014

NPR says it will cancel its midday program Tell Me More, which was meant to attract African-Americans and other listeners of color; decision is part of efforts to close $6 million deficit, and will eliminate 28 jobs across newsroom; NPR’s board has adopted strategic plan, including mandate to expand diversity, and hired new chief executive, Jarl Mohn, who promises similar focus on appealing to more diverse audiences. MORE

May. 20, 2014

East Village Radio, which offers a rich mix of music and voices almost impossible to find on commercial radio, will soon close after years of rising expenses; station embraced the nonconformity of Manhattan's East Village and quickly became a neighborhood institution with a devoted following; closing is being mourned in similar fashion to other East Village institutions that have shut down, as gentrification continues to advance. MORE

May. 11, 2014

Mark Leibovich Your Fellow Americans column notes decision by Michigan Sen Mike Rogers to leave Washington for a lucrative career in talk radio is significant because Rogers has an influential position in Congress; underscores similarity between being a politician today and having a hit radio show, particularly with respect to the skill set involved in both endeavors. MORE

May. 10, 2014

NPR appoints Jarl Mohn, founder of E! cable channel, as its new chief executive. MORE

Apr. 18, 2014

Dan Dierdorf announces his return to broadcasting, with a three-year contract as radio analyst for Michigan football; he called his final NFL game for CBS Sports in January, and had expected to retire from full-time work, but is improving after surgery in February that fused 14 joints in his spine. MORE

Apr. 7, 2014

Country music has displaced Top 40 as America's most popular musical format on the radio, attracting growing audience even as other genres falter amid a struggling industry; trend has attracted attention of media companies, who are investing heavily in country artists and radio stations with increasingly mainstream appeal. MORE

Apr. 4, 2014

Former Connecticut Gov John G Rowland quits his afternoon radio talk show, saying he needs to take care of personal issues; Rowland has been identified in federal court as a co-conspirator in an investigation of improper campaign financing. MORE

Mar. 31, 2014

Announcement that radio show This American Life will part ways from its distributor, Public Radio International, sets off scramble among rivals for rights to popular program; host and executive producer Ira Glass says talks will be conducted with several distributors, including NPR, but self-distribution may be an option. MORE

Mar. 29, 2014

Representative Mike Rogers of Michigan, seven-term Republican who is chairman of House Intelligence Committee, stuns colleagues by announcing that he will retire to take job as talk radio host; news comes just days after he proposed ambitious overhaul of National Security Agency's electronic surveillance programs. MORE

Mar. 29, 2014

Richard Sandomir TV Sports column notes that Turner Network Television and CBS are approaching local radio announcers to add hometown color to national broadcasts of Final Four games in the NCAA men's tournament, but that many are opting out due to hometown loyalty and obligations to radio networks. MORE

Mar. 14, 2014

Mam Sonando, 72-year-old Cambodian journalist and founder of Beehive Radio, has been described by his supporters as country's only truly independent broadcaster; Sonando has been arrested several times for programming critical of Cambodia's authoritarian government; support for his mission has grown along with criticism of Prime Min Hun Sen. MORE

Mar. 10, 2014

New York Public Radio is to announce it has received $10 million grant from Jerome L Greene Foundation, which it says is largest single gift ever made to public radio station; will use most of gift to support development of digital operations, including new feature on WNYC mobile app. MORE

Mar. 2, 2014

Fledgling low-wattage radio station and art collective KCHUNG in Los Angeles has reach far beyond range of its broadcast signal; station is fast becoming platform for extracurricular projects of painters, sculptors and performance artists, and its growing online archive is window into city’s fast-moving art scene. MORE

Feb. 16, 2014

Op-Ed article by writing teacher Beth Boyle Machlan describes how she has come to accept listening to the radio in her car, due to the fact that it is old and has a defective CD player; observes that she grew up listening to New York City's radio stations and is comfortable once again handing over control of her music, while she drives, to familiar voices. MORE

Feb. 15, 2014

WBAI, liberal radio station in New York that occupies a powerful spot on the FM dial but has been struggling financially for years, dismisses its latest programming chief Robert Hennelly. MORE

Feb. 14, 2014

Howie Rose and Josh Lewin will return as New York Mets’ radio team as the games shift to WOR-AM from WFAN-AM and FM; other baseball news noted. MORE

Feb. 13, 2014

Emmis Communications is buying WBLS-FM and WLIB from YMF Media for $131 million; deal will align some of New York's most popular stations specializing in black music; Emmis owns hip-hop station WQHT-FM, better known as Hot 97. MORE

Feb. 11, 2014

Istanbul Journal; dozens of opposition radio stations have sprung up outside of Syria in places like Istanbul since the start of the revolt against Syrian Pres Bashar al-Assad; stations are the most recent arrivals on Syria's combative news media scene, and they seek to reach Syrians inside the country and believe FM the best way to do so. MORE

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March 22, 2015, Sunday

Nine broadcasters have asked the Federal Communications Commission to waive the longstanding requirement that stations say on the air when a sponsor or promoter has paid for a song or other programming.

Since taking office, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has granted interviews to a select few radio hosts. His appearances with Fredric U. Dicker stopped abruptly following Mr. Dicker’s criticism of the governor’s gun-control legislation in January.